Eric's Little Sister
by XeroSanity
Summary: Eileen is the youngest of the three Forman children. Wicked smart and well mannered, she doesn't exactly fit into the Gang of young ruffians that frequent her basement. Even though she's a high school graduate at sixteen, and the brightest of the group, everyone still sees her as Eric's little sister. But she'll do anything it takes to let Steven Hyde know she's not a kid anymore.
1. Chapter 1

Point Place, Wisconsin

July 20, 1970

5:30 p.m.

Location: Eric Forman's Treehouse

Eric, Hyde, Kelso and Donna were all running around in the backyard, taking turns climbing up into the tree house.

Ten year old Eileen stood in the driveway, aching to join them.

But her mom said Eric and his friends can play rough, and she could get hurt.

As if to discourage her further, she'd been dressed in a frilly white dress.

It was beautiful and brand new. It would hurt her mom's feelings if she ruined it by getting it dirty.

Still…

She fiddled with the bracelet of glass beads on her wrist, trying to ignore what she was feeling.

But Eileen saw them all having so much fun, and she couldn't take it anymore.

The young brunette took a deep breath, crossing the threshold between their worlds.

Which in this case, was a patch of grass.

Twelve year old Eric gazed down from the entrance of the tree house and waved. "Hey, Ells!"

A redheaded girl with pigtails was giggling and looking out too. "Come on, Eileen! Come hang out with us!"

Kelso shot her a grin through his retainer. "Yeah, just don't eat the candy or look at the magazines under the - OW!" He yelled as Eric punched him.

"Shut _up_ ," he muttered under his breath.

A boy with frizzy curls emerged from the entrance and descended down the steps, managing to keep his sun glasses on.

He didn't say a word, just shot her a secret smile and ruffled her hair before he passed her and went through the sliding doors to the Forman's kitchen.

Eileen stuck her tongue out at him. _Ew. He messed up my hair._

She was distracted from her annoyance when someone called her name. "What are you waiting for, Ellie?!" Donna called, waving to get her attention.

The little brunette blushed, not responding.

"You're wasting your breath, kid," a voice said, making Eileen cringe.

She turned around to see her older sister, Laurie entering the backyard. "Ellie is afraid of heights. She's too much of a _scaredy cat_ ," she sneered, crossing her arms.

Eileen's face went bright red and she gave Laurie her nastiest look. "Am not!"

"Are too!" Laurie insisted, staring her down. "You're just a big baby who's afraid of everything!"

Eileen stepped down hard on her sister's foot.

"OW!" She yelled much to Ellie's satisfaction, but then shouted, "I'm telling mom! MOOOOM! EILEEN HURT ME!" She stomped back through to the kitchen and disappeared.

Eric came down from the treehouse in a rush, his cheeks flushed. "Don't worry Ells. MOOM! LAURIE WAS MEAN TO ELLIE!" He ran after his older sister.

Donna rolled her eyes and descended as well. "Tell your brother I said bye," she said, giving a gentle punch to Ellie's shoulder and running home.

Eileen looked up to see Kelso, the last to come down from the treehouse. "Laters," he said, bolting home. "Aw man, mom's gonna kill me if I don't make it home in time for dinner…" he kept mumbling to himself long after he disappeared from sight.

After they'd all gone, she gazed up at the top of the treehouse.

It was the ultimate achievement to make it inside. If you were brave enough to climb the steps, you officially weren't a kid anymore.

She could only imagine what precious goodies and treasures were kept up there. Eric's allowance stash, extra snacks, Donna's short stories, Laurie's makeup…the whole world could be kept up in that treehouse.

She stared at it with determined eyes. "I'm not a baby," she whispered to herself.

Eileen grabbed the first wood block to climb.

Her hands started to shake but she kept going, not daring to look down. "I'm not afraid," she said through her teeth, gripping tightly.

Halfway up, she wanted to stop, but it was too late to turn back now.

She could picture the look on Laurie's face when she saw her head peeking out of the treehouse's window, shooting her a smug smile.

It was motivation enough to continue on.

At this point, the interior of the treehouse was just out of reach.

She was almost there.

Eileen paused, took a few deep breaths, and grabbed the last wood block step.

The young girl tumbled into the treehouse, getting some dirt on her dress.

But she hugged herself, beaming.

She'd done it.

Eileen took in her surroundings.

There was a rolled up sleeping bag, stacks of books and magazines, a bean bag chair and a box filled with toys and board games.

From the looks of it, the kids had been playing a card game.

But when she looked out the treehouse window, she saw it was starting to get dark, and her pride started to morph into worry.

"KIDS! DINNER!" Kitty yelled.

Her stomach growled, a cruel reminder that it was in fact, dinner time.

Eileen immediately regretted her decision.

She hadn't given any thought to how she would get down.

She only looked down for a moment before quickly ducking into the safety of the treehouse, curling up in a ball.

It was WAY too high up. She wanted to climb down, but she just couldn't. It was impossible.

The little girl wanted to cry out to her mother, tell her she was trapped and needed help.

But as tears started to flow freely from her eyes and she shook with quiet sobs, she knew that wasn't an option.

It would just be proving Laurie right. Everyone would know how much of a baby she was, crying for her mommy.

So instead of calling for help, she wrapped the sleeping bag around herself and hugged her knees, crying like the little girl she was.

Eileen had no idea how long she was up there. It could've been an hour or two.

She heard Kitty ask where Ellie was, but Laurie just said she'd gone to bed, deciding she wasn't hungry.

Eileen wanted her parents find her so badly. But if they did, it would be even worse for her.

Eric and his friends would never let her live it down. They'd never see her as one of them.

She couldn't stop crying. All she wanted was to eat the wonderful food her mom made for dinner, maybe swipe a cookie and after dessert dress in her favorite Wizard of Oz pajamas and curl up in her comfy bed.

But as long as she was stuck in this tree, it wasn't going to happen.

There was only one choice.

She clasped her hands together and started praying quietly, like her parents taught her to do.

"Dear God," she said, barely audible, "please help me. Please send an angel to get me out of here. I just wanna go home," she cried, wishing with all her might.

She wasn't sure if praying actually worked, but it was all she had.

To her horror, she heard the sliding door and a rustling.

She hoped it wasn't Laurie.

Eileen gasped, quickly rushing to the corner of the treehouse, trying to make herself as small as possible.

It was clear someone was coming up the steps.

She shivered with fright, fearing the worst.

There was some shuffling and banging as someone entered the treehouse and reached for the sleeping bag.

She couldn't help it.

She gasped and shrieked, pulling it tighter around herself. "PLEASE NO!" she cried, a fresh batch of tears welling up in her eyes.

But a gentle hand rested on her back. "Eileen?" a voice asked.

It was a boy.

Not Laurie.

She took a deep breath, revealing her face from under the sleeping bag, flushed pink from crying.

He was wearing a black T shirt and Jeans. Surprisingly, no sunglasses.

"It's okay, it's just H – um, Steven," he said, clearing his throat. "What are you doing up here? I thought you were in bed."

Eileen sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Nah, I…I climbed up here to prove I could do it." But then a thought crossed her mind. "Hey wait…why are _you_ up here?"

"None of your business," he said automatically.

Eileen frowned. "It's _our_ treehouse. Yeah it is."

He paused, looking away. "Um…" he sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Okay, if I tell you do you promise to keep your mouth shut?"

She nodded.

He bit his lip. "I've kinda been sleeping here. My mom's got this…boyfriend, er…I mean I've got an Uncle…uh…well, it's just…" he huffed, not sure what to say.

Eileen bit her lip too. "I won't tell," she whispered, presenting a pinky.

He smiled. "In middle school, we don't pinky promise."

She blushed, embarrassed. _I should've thought of that._

But then she smiled. "Wait!" she said. She took the bracelet off of her wrist and took it apart so it was longer, leaving a single bead in the middle. "Here," she said, emerging from the sleeping bag to tie it around his neck. "There," she said. "Now whenever I see you it'll remind me of my promise, and I won't forget."

Steven looked down at the necklace in surprise. He'd never gotten a gift like that before. "Whatever," he said, looking away, not wanting to let her know how much he liked it. "So, did you ever plan on coming down?"

She tensed up again, not daring to look down. "Um…"

Steven grinned wickedly. "You don't know how, do you?" he started to laugh.

She shoved him. "Don't laugh, it's not funny! _I missed dinner_!"

He stopped laughing long enough to reply. "It's not that hard. Just go down the way you came up. Like a ladder."

Eileen looked at him blankly. "It's called an _irrational fear_ for a reason," she pointed out.

"Well I gotta get some sleep and you can't stay up here forever so…I'll help you get down." He started to climb down, and he reached for her hand.

She couldn't see all the way down because his face was blocking her view.

All Eileen could see was Steven and her necklace.

But she was still afraid.

Without a word Steven simply scooped her up with one arm and held her tight. "Close your eyes," he ordered, making his way down the tree.

Eileen did as she was told, clinging to him. She didn't breathe again until she felt her feet touch the ground.

His hands went to her waist as she slid down and made it back to her own two feet.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of him. With the angle of the moonlight, she could see his eyes were blue.

He shrugged, looking around. "See? Easy."

Eileen nodded, as if to reassure herself. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking off awkwardly.

But she had to be sure…

She looked back up at him. "Do you promise not to tell anyone? Even Laurie?"

Steven nodded. "I am sworn to secrecy, just as you are," he said with a stoic, expressionless face. "We have a pact now, you and I. And pacts are sacred."

Eileen nodded. "Okay. Well…goodnight" she said shyly, before darting into the house and up to her room, her heart pounding in her chest.

 _SIX YEARS LATER…_


	2. Chapter 2

Point Place, Wisconsin

March 2, 1976

3:34 p.m.

Eric Forman's Basement

Sixteen-year-old Eileen blew a curl of brown hair from her eyes as she strummed a Zeppelin song on her six string.

She was sitting pretzel style on the basement couch, enjoying the solitude before Eric and his friends came home from school.

With Red working at the plant, Kitty working as a nurse at the hospital, Eric at school and Laurie in college, she had the house to herself from nine in the morning to 3 o'clock, when people started to come home.

Kitty worried that her youngest daughter would get lonely, but it was the time Eileen took to simply be herself.

Since her grades were phenomenal and shed been a star pupil in high school, Eileen could've easily enrolled in some college courses and began her career, with her parents' consent.

But it would've been too much on them for her to go off to college at the same time as Laurie. Two birds leaving the nest at once.

Or at least that's what she told herself…

A curly haired, broad shouldered rock & roll lover in shades certainly had nothing to do with it.

As her fingertips danced across the frets of her guitar, she got caught up in the soft, soothing melody it produced, trying to remember the last time she saw his eyes.

Suddenly hoots and hollers (no doubt the second wave of Kelso's sugar rush) echoed down the basement stairs, along with thundering footsteps.

The Stairway to Heaven dissipated as she was startled from her playing.

Fresh from the hub, the gang came down the stairs smelling like French fries and Jackie's perfume.

Eileen put the guitar flat in her lap, giving a shy wave as they descended.

"Hey Ells Bells," Donna said, smiling and giving her a gentle nudge.

"How was school?" Eileen asked, standing up so they could all plop down on the couch.

Kelso groaned. "You're just trying to rub it in, aren't cha? You've been sick all year, so you haven't had to go!"

Jackie rolled her eyes. " _No,_ Michael, she's just a nerd so she graduated two years earlier than she was supposed to."

Eileen scowled. "I'm right _here_ ," she pointed out, sighing and beginning her ascension up the stairs.

Eric shook his head. "Nah man, it's all good. You know, my little sis making something of herself, exceeding everyone's expectations…actually…could you like cool it a little bit, Ells? Cuz you're making me look bad." He cleared his throat, sitting on the left side of the couch.

Eileen just scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Eric, that's not hard to do."

Kelso laughed and shouted. "BURN!" making Fez laugh too.

Jackie sat in Kelso's lap, looking at Ellie with a disdainful expression. "I don't get it. You have such great looks yet you work hard using your brain. It's such a waste."

She couldn't get up the stairs fast enough. "Okay, my IQ points are starting to drop, guess that's my cue to leave."

"Did she just call me stupid?!" Jackie exclaimed, storming up the stairs after her.

Fez smirked. " _Vell_ , shay wasn't calleen you _smart_ ," he said, unable to stop himself from shaking with laughter.

Donna bit her lip to hold one in and took off after Jackie to make sure she didn't do anything rash. "Jackie calm down! It's not like she said you were _ugly_!"

Hyde came in through the back door with another baggie. "Hey guys," he said walking over to his favorite chair.

Eric gave him a nod of acknowledgment. "Hey man," he said, popping open a few coca colas.

Hyde shrugged off his cowhide jacket and pulled up his chair to the round table. "So," he said, grinning conspiratorially, "who's got a lighter?"

~.~

Halfway into their circle session, the conversation was in full swing.

"Come on, I'd _totally_ be Shaggy," Hyde said, chewing on a piece of beef jerky. "I have the hair, I say "man" a lot, and I'm always hungry."

Fez retorted, "I sink zeh _real_ question here is…are Shaggy and Scooby _acquainted_ _with Mary Jane_."

That made Kelso laugh. "Oh, _chyeah_. Why do you think they have such a huge Van? Cuz Mystery Inc. has stoner parties on their off time."

Eric shook his head. "Naaah. I think they have a van because they need the room. Think about it. You've got Shaggy, Scooby, Velma, Fred _and_ Daphne. That's a _lot_ of people."

Kelso crossed his arms. "No way! There's six of _us_ but you can fit us all in the Vista Cruiser. They _totally_ use the back for parties."

Eric scoffed. "We're stoners too, but we don't have stoner parties in _my_ car."

Kelso threw his hands up. "Because it's not a _van_ , Eric!" he exclaimed, feeling that he'd made his point.

Eric took a sip from his coke. "Whatever. Aren't we a little old to be debating this anyway? We're in our senior year of high school."

Hyde snickered. "Says the guy who has a shelf full of dolls above his head at eighteen years old."

Eric shot him a dirty look. "Hyde, I'm not going over this again. They are _not_. Dolls."

Fez scowled as he sucked his Popsicle. "If being a man means no Scooby Doo than I call not it."

Steven took another hit of the joint and coughed. "Well, dolls, action figures, whatever you wanna call 'em…they get handled more than you do, that's for sure."

Kelso laughed hard and loud. "BURN!" He exclaimed. "That's funny, cuz Eric probably plays with them."

Fez giggled. "But the question is…does Edeec play with his dolls or _himself_ more?"

In response, Eric threw a cream soda can at him.

The whole gang laughed except for Eric. "Well, when's the last time you got some action, Hyde? Oh, that's right, not since Pam Macy on Prom night."

Hyde cleared his throat. "Um...no. That's not true. And I can have any girl I want."

Kelso stood at attention. "Oh! Oh! Except for Miss Hamill. We made a pact in third grade that she's off limits."

Hyde smiled, remembering. "Ah, Miss Hamill. I'd still tap that."

Fez ate some pretzels. "Plus, Hyde dooz not have a womahn. But Edeec _does_. Despite zis fact, Edeec _still_ does not get love."

Eric scoffed. "Who says I'm not gettin' some?"

Hyde grinned. "Your slightly enlarged right arm, that's what."

Eric couldn't help laughing. "Shut up!" he said, hitting Hyde from across the table.

Hyde backed up. "Whoa whoa hey, other hand, man," which just started a whole other round of laughter.

After the laughter had subsided, Fez crossed his arms and gave a puppy dog pout. "You've never made a pact with _me_ Hyde," he said remorsefully.

Kelso smiled with smug satisfaction. "That's because Hyde only makes pacts with _me_. It's our _thing_."

Hyde shook his head. "No _our_ thing is I get a stupid idea that will end in injury, and I convince you to do it, since you're the only one dumb enough. Then…I sit back and laugh as it blows up in your face." He smiled.

Kelso gasped in shock. "AH! Well…whatever you say, you've never made pacts with anyone else, right?"

Hyde opened his mouth to reply but then paused.

And then for the first time in years, he thought about that night.

 _We have a pact now, you and I. And_ _pacts_ _are sacred._

His hand went to the glass bead around his neck automatically.

His hesitation was felt by the whole group.

Eric saw the expression on Hyde's face. "Holy hell. He _has._ "

Hyde sat back in his chair his mouth a firm line. "No, I haven't."

"It's written all over your face, you dirty liar!" Eric said, pointing at him accusingly with a Popsicle stick.

Fez gasped. "But with who?!"

Kelso shook his head. "No one! Cuz…" but he was starting to doubt. "Who was he? I'll kill 'im. Cuz that's _our_ thing!"

Hyde's hand went back down to his lap as he tried to remain composed. "Whatever, man. Like Forman said, we're not kids. Who cares if I did?"

Kelso started pointing fingers. "Alright! Who was it?!"

Fez held his hands up. "Not it," he said, fear in his eyes.

Eric shrugged. "Yeah, I've never made a pact with Hyde either."

Kelso sighed. "Then who the hell was it?"

Hyde gave a "duh" expression. "Well, if I _talked about_ _it_ , then it would be breaking the pact."

Kelso gasped. "So there _was_ a pact!"

The young rebel scoffed and shook his head. "Okay, you know what? Yeah, there was. But it was like almost seven years ago. It's irrelevant."

Fez made a pouty face. "Aaaaw Heidi duzzen wanna takaboudiiiit," he said, holding back a grin.

Eric shrugged again. "But if it was so long ago, what's the harm?"

Kelso shrugged. "Yeah. I mean…what was it for? Not to steal each other's jolly ranchers?" He couldn't even finish without laughing, making everyone else laugh.

Except Hyde.

He took another puff.

But so far it wasn't doing anything for him.

He glared at them. "It _doesn't_ matter, that's my point! We don't need to talk about it."

Eric backed away putting his hands in front of him. "Whoa ho, calm down there, buddy. Why so defensive?"

Fez ate another pretzel. " _Vell,_ if it _eez_ about jolly ranchers then I complitaly oondarstahnd."

Kelso rolled his eyes. "Come on man, we're you're friends. You know what's said in the circle doesn't leave the circle – "

"– That is complete bull," Hyde retorted his jaw tense.

Eric nodded. "No, it's true. Look, gossip is one thing but pacts are _law_."

Fez smiled with understanding. "Ooooh I get it," he said grinning mischievously. "The person he made it with was a _womahn."_

Hyde's face flushed with color. "No," he simply said.

Kelso saw his face and immediately fell out of his chair, bursting into uncontrollable laughter. "OH MY GOD!" He said through his fits of laughter. "HYDE MADE A PACT WITH A GIIIRRRRRRRRRL!"

Eric's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Well well well." he grinned. "I wonder who the lucky lady was...you sly fox."

Hyde just got up out of his chair and moved his feet to leave. "You're all dumb. I'm gonna go see if there's any food in the fridge."

Fez started laughing like a hyena. "Hyde is in loooooove," he sneered and suddenly it became a cheer for the boys.

The jeering quickened Hyde's pace as he ran up the basement stairs and then to the main stairs.

Hyde ducked into the Forman's bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

He hadn't thought about that day in forever. Eileen had been so small and light as he'd carried her down from the Tree house.

It wasn't even standing anymore. A bad storm made the tree fall over.

For a while, it was as if it never happened.

But flushed cheeks and an elevated heart beat were indications enough to remind him it did.

He rubbed the bead between his thumb and middle finger, biting his lip.

He never took it off, and he'd worn it for so long he'd forgotten the memory associated with it.

He reached behind his neck to undo the hand-tied knot, but something stopped him.

If he took it off, the guys would be even more suspicious.

Plus…

He ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his glasses.

He didn't.. _.like_ Eileen. He never would've even _talked_ to her if he hadn't been staying in the Forman's backyard behind their backs.

And even if he did…

He scowled at himself in the mirror.

It didn't matter. Eileen was Eric's sister, which meant she was off limits.

After a deep breath, he exited the background, leaving his nameless emotions behind him.

~.~

Later that day…

The Forman's Kitchen

Dinner Time

Steven, Eric, and Red all sat at the kitchen table while Kitty served them mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with their grilled chicken.

"This is so good, Mrs. Forman," Hyde said enthusiastically, immediately starting to stuff his face.

Eric just grunted in agreement, doing the same.

Kitty laughed. "My goodness. You boys are always so famished. AH HA HA HA HA! It makes me wonder if that school actually feeds you during lunch time."

Red cleared his throat. "Well, it doesn't matter, because we can't afford to send homemade lunches anyway." His smile was intimidating as usual.

Kitty put her hands on her hips. "Red," she warned, shooting him a stern look.

After Hyde finished his food he looked at the empty seat in front of him and blushed. "Hey, where's uh…Eileen?" he tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible.

"Steven, take off your sunglasses at the table," Kitty said, fussing over him.

 _Shit,_ he thought. His vulnerable blue eyes were put on display seeing as he had no choice but to do what he was told.

Red groaned, shaking his head. "Dammit. I forgot."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Red sighed. "Ellie's concert is this weekend, and I can't take her. The plant asked me to pick up some extra hours on Saturday."

Kitty gasped. "Oh Red, how could you? She's been looking forward to that concert for months!"

Red threw his hands up. "Well, _fine_ Kitty, I'll just shut off the electricity and waste four tanks of gas to drive her to a concert she'll enjoy for two measly hours."

Kitty hit his arm. "Red, that poor girl barely leaves the house as it is!"

Red flinched. "What's the big deal? Just have Eric take her."

Eric stopped chewing and swallowed awkwardly. "Well…I promised Donna we'd go see _The Front_ at the Drive-In on Saturday."

Hyde swallowed his food. "Then just take Donna on a different day."

Eric shook his head. "I can't. Friday night she's gonna write her paper for Global History and Sunday we go to Church."

Hyde tried again. "Okay, take her tomorrow."

"It won't be out yet."

"So take her Thursday."

"It's a school night."

Red interrupted their banter. "Well, Eileen is your sister, Eric. She takes precedence over a movie with a girl who lives two feet away from you."

Eric sighed. "I don't know if the Cruiser would even _make_ the trip. Isn't her concert in Madison or something? That's a two-hour drive."

Hyde bit his lip in thought, clearing his throat. "I'd take her," he said in a nonchalant tone, like he was discussing the weather, "I just don't have a car."

Kitty smiled. "Well that's a great idea," she said. "That's very nice of you Steven."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Why would you have any interest is chauffeuring around a sixteen-year-old girl?"

His heart was hammering in his chest, but he played it cool. "It's a concert, and I don't have anything goin' on, that's all." Hyde shrugged.

Red stared him in the eyes, making Hyde's head hurt.

But he finally nodded. "Fine. On Saturday, I'll take the Cruiser to work, and you can take my Toyota. It's less likely to break down on ya and it's got insurance. But if you get one scratch on that car, my foot won't even make it up your ass before you're put into a body bag."

He swallowed nervously but nodded. "Got it."

Eric scoffed. "Um…wait, if you're taking the Cruiser, and Hyde's taking your car…how am I gonna take Donna to the movies?"

Red smiled. "You're not. You'd know that if you weren't a dumb ass."

Eric was about to protest except the swinging door opened to reveal Eileen.

She blushed shyly when she saw Steven at the table.

Steven took in her appearance. She'd dressed in blue jeans and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt.

He realized it was a shirt he'd left in the basement by accident. Kitty must have washed it, thinking it was Eric's.

"This is the shirt I'm gonna wear to the concert, Dad," she said, beaming from ear to ear.

Red smiled. "Actually honey, Daddy has to work some extra hours this weekend, so Steven's gonna take you."

To his shock, Eileen looked down into her lap as color rose to her face. "Okay," she said, wordlessly scooping some potatoes onto her plate.

Steven cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. He realized he didn't mind the fact she was wearing his shirt.

She actually looked…really cute.

Her hair only reached to just under her chin, and it was voluminous with luscious curls that would probably be soft to the touch.

Hyde bit his tongue. A self-inflicted punishment for thinking about her that way.

She had the same blue eyes as Kitty and Laurie, but dark brown hair like Eric's, what Kitty's must've looked like before she'd started dying it blonde.

Eileen's face was heart shaped and the Zeppelin shirt had shrunk in the wash, clinging to the womanly figure Hyde was noticing for the first time.

Suddenly he couldn't wait for the weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

Point Place, Wisconsin

March 6, 1976

3:00 p.m.

Location: Eric Forman's Drive way

"The concert isn't until seven," Hyde said to Red shoving his hands in his pocket.

Red raised an eyebrow. "Do you _want_ to deal with rush hour traffic?"

Hyde threw his hands up. "It's _Saturday!_ Nobody's working!"

"Trust me," Red held a hand up in an affirmative gesture. "You're gonna be dealing with Kenosha drivers, bumpkins from Waukesha…and Madison is the halfway point between Milwaukee and the Dells. You're gonna want to be on the road as soon as possible."

Hyde sighed. "Aright. Fine." He put his hand out, palm-up.

Red laughed. "It's not like you have a choice, Steven. It's _my_ car." He plopped the keys into Steven's hand.

Steven stared in confusion at the keys. "Ya know, being that I'm not exactly Mr. Hallmark, I can't help but ask myself why you trust me to do this anyway."

Red crossed his arms. "Are you questioning my judgment? In my _own_ driveway?"

But Steven didn't fall for it. He looked him dead in the eye, slightly angry and said, "Yeah, I am."

The tall, balding man thought for a minute. "Well, the way I see it…if you bust my Toyota, I can get a new car."

But Hyde gritted his teeth in frustration. "I mean with _Ellie_." He specified. "You shouldn't trust me around _your fridge_ , let alone her."

As the father of Eileen, Red raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it's _Ellie_ , now?" A grin spread on his face.

Steven scowled. _Was the old coot even listening?!_ "Whatever, never mind," he turned his head, starting to walk off to the car.

But Red put a hand on Hyde's shoulder, forcing him to turn around.

"I'll break it down for you. You're not a dumb ass like Eric, or accident-prone like Kelso, or a foreigner who steals bacon from my fridge."

Hyde shrugged. "But I steal _other_ things from your fridge," he pointed out.

Red shot him a look. "You're rough around the edges, but I know you won't let anything happen to her."

Hyde's eyebrows raised in mock epiphany. "Ah. So I'm the best option in a crappy selection of choices. That makes sense."

Red chuckled. "Come on. If you were up to no good, you'd be skipping around with the biggest grin on your face, satisfied with acquiring six _unsupervised hours_ with my youngest daughter."

Hyde bit his lip in thought.

He wanted to do the Formans a favor. Payment for all the times they've helped him.

But entrusting Ellie's life to a deadbeat so he could pick up extra hours at work was despicable.

Red gave him a nudge. " _Because_ you think placing my trust in you was a potentially bad idea, I trust you, because that means you're thinking about what could go wrong. You're thinking ahead, and making Eileen's safety your first priority."

 _Shit._ He had to backtrack. He cleared his throat. "Look, that's not why I'm doing this. It's a free concert ticket to see my favorite band and all I gotta do is watch my friend's sister. It's a pretty sweet deal."

Red nodded, giving him a sly look. "Sure." He started to walk to the sliding door.

Hyde breathed out. That had been a close one.

"Oh and uh…some food for thought," Red said, looking over his shoulder, "Ellie knows that shirt is yours."

Hyde couldn't help it. Color rose to his face before he could stop it. He tried to swallow it down and get it together before anyone came outside.

Red knew that Eileen had worn Hyde's shirt, and somehow Steven Hyde was still standing, breathing and in one piece.

Not only that, Ellie… _Eric's little sister_ …knowingly took and wore something of his. He assumed that that's what a girlfriend would do, but he'd never been in a committed relationship before. He was a lone wolf.

But what happens when the lone wolf sees a foxy little –

Before he could dwell on it further, Eileen emerged from the kitchen, with Eric and Donna in tow.

The young brunette carried a folded bundle in her arms, a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. But her dress and cotton white sweater looked like something straight out of a sixties' housewife's closet.

A knot of dread formed in his stomach.

 _She's gonna get eaten alive,_ he thought to himself.

"Hey Hyde, just came out here to say bye," Eric said, an arm over Donna's shoulders.

Hyde went to shake hands. "Yeah man, I'll see you later tonight."

Eric laughed mockingly. "OH!" He pulled his hand away, out of reach. "You think I meant bye to _you._ Ah ha. Well uh, no. I'm here to say goodbye to my Saturday night plans…all my hopes and dreams…my car…and goodbye to our friendship because _you are dead to me_."

Donna scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Eric, relax we can do something else. _The Front_ is gonna be playing for a few weeks, we can go some other time."

"You know what, it's not even that. Why the hell does my dad trust _you_ with his car?! Huh?" Eric asked, his voice cracking.

Before Hyde could give a retort, Eileen punched him in the shoulder.

"OW!" He exclaimed, recoiling.

"Shut up Eric," she scowled. "He's only doing this because you wouldn't take me. But I guess it isn't news that sucking neighbor girl's face is more important than me."

Donna turned to Eric, shock and disbelief on her face. "Wait, _that's_ why you lost the Cruiser for the weekend? You couldn't take the time to drive _your own sister_ to a concert?"

Eric backed away. "Um…nooo," he said, heading slowly for the sliding door.

"Don't you run from me you scrawny little jerk!" She yelled, darting after him.

Eileen sighed, rubbing her temples. "Let's get outta here before anyone else –"

But the sliding door opened with a loud slam to reveal her mother.

Hyde was surprised to see Eileen instantly tense up.

She was smiling ear to ear. "Oh, you both look so cute!" She pulled out a Polaroid camera.

But Eileen moved to hide behind Steven. "Mom, you promised," she warned. "It's _not_ a big deal. You didn't do this to Eric when he went to the Todd Rundgren concert in Kenosha."

Kitty raised an eyebrow, lowering her camera. "What are you talking about? Eric never went…" But then her eyes widened. "Wait…was that the night Eric went out of town? The first week he got the car?"

Hyde had to change the subject. Now.

"Mrs. Forman, you can take _one_ picture," he said, "But we can't be held up for much longer. We gotta beat traffic."

Kitty laughed. "Thank you, Steven! Go ahead and smile, you two!"

Eileen sighed, standing next to Steven, her head held high. "You don't have to smile," she whispered, biting her lip.

Hyde gave a smile anyway, remembering when she punched Eric. "It's cool, Muhammad. Just this once."

That made Eileen laugh.

Kitty took that moment to snap the picture. "Perfect. You two kids have fun!" She said, waving to them both.

When she and Steven got in the car, Eileen shoved him. "You bastard!" she said, laughing. "You totally did that on purpose!"

"You're right," Hyde said, nodding. He placed the key in the ignition and turned. "I _am_ a bastard."

Eileen's eyes glistened with a challenge. "Admit it," she said, "You set me up. You made me laugh on purpose."

Hyde pulled out of the driveway and started on the road. "I'm not admitting to crap," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "But it worked, didn't it?

 _~.~_

Even though Point Place was far behind them, Eileen still hadn't put on her seat belt.

Once they were on the highway, the young brunette threw the messenger bag in the back seat and started climbing over the seat.

"What the hell are you _doin_ '?" Hyde asked, turning his head briefly to see a pair of feet in his face.

"Nothing, just don't look, okay?" she replied.

He started to hear shuffling around and the movement of fabric behind him.

"Wait, are you –" he turned around to look but she put a hand over his eyes.

"I said _don't look_. Eyes on the road."

He turned back around, the scent of her hand in his nose.

He bit his tongue again.

"– I'm almost done," she said breathlessly, throwing a dress into the front seat.

Hyde's lips pursed mischievously. "Ya _know_ ," he said, his voice suggestive, "This kind of thing is _exactly_ why God invented rearview mirrors."

Without skipping a beat, Eileen replied with, "I don't believe in God."

Steven's eyes widened. "You go to Church every Sunday."

She laughed. " _Yeah._ So did Laurie before she went to college, and she's the devil."

Steven nodded in acknowledgment. "Point made. Speaking of Laurie and her… _hobbies_ , does that happen to run in the family?" He wiggled his eyebrows in the rear view mirror.

Eileen bit her lip, blushing despite herself as she slipped on a t-shirt over her flare jeans. "Why, want me to put in a good word for you to Eric?" she said quietly, trying to come off as playful and humorous.

But could it be…?

Hyde chuckled softly. "Very funny." So that was that. She wasn't interested.

She slipped back into the front seat, this time feet first.

Hyde turned just in time to see her toned stomach peeking from the edges of her shirt as her hips wiggled their way back into the front seat.

Big mistake.

He clenched his teeth behind his lips, holding back the urge to touch her. _Dead puppies dead puppies dead puppies dead puppies…_

She cleared her throat shyly. "By the way, uh…here," she said quietly, putting the bundle in his lap.

 _Thank god,_ he thought, once again thankful he hadn't worn his tight jeans today.

She looked out her window, averting her eyes. "Sorry for taking your shirt."

Steven shrugged. "You think that thing'll still fit me after what your mom did to it? Just keep it."

What the hell was he doing? That was his favorite shirt! He'd go two weeks without eating if it meant he'd be thin enough to fit back into it.

But for some reason…if it was _Ellie_ wearing it…

It was somehow okay.

Eileen smiled. "Really?"

Hyde bit back a grin himself. "Yeah, it's whatever. I don't care. And besides…" his hand went back up to his necklace.

Eileen gasped. "You still…" she didn't finish, just looking off in shock.

Hyde cleared his throat awkwardly. "Nah, I uh…I mean I just…I don't make a habit of looking in a mirror, so I haven't thought to um…"

She laughed. "You expect me to believe you haven't looked in a mirror once in the past six years?"

Hyde nodded, replying with a very matter-of-fact tone. "Yup."

Eileen smirked, crossing her arms. "Well, whatever the reason for keeping it…I'm flattered. And…I'll accept the T-shirt so we're _even Steven_."

The young teen shook his head. "Deal," he resolved to say.

Without a moment's hesitation, she slipped off her T-shirt to change into the Zeppelin shirt.

But that was too much. "People are gonna get a free show," he said, warning her.

Eileen had to give it a shot. She took an extra-long time getting her shirt off.

Plenty of time for him to sneak a peek. _Not **people** ,_ she thought, only in a bra now.

She dared him with all her might to look at her.

 _Just you_ , she thought to herself, looking straight ahead.

He tried so damn hard not to look. But she was just taking so _long_.

Whether it was curiosity or desire that overcame him, he gave in.

Without turning his head, he looked at her through his sunglasses.

For the first time, he wished he wasn't wearing them.

The clothes she wore didn't do her justice.

The line of her cleavage was deliciously squeezed between two perfectly round breasts, cupped delicately in a white cotton bra.

The line of her midriff was defined and inviting.

Hyde found himself biting his lip, imagining what her stomach would taste like if he ran his tongue down…

It felt like eons before she finally let the Zeppelin shirt fall over her shoulders and cascade down her torso.

Hyde's eyes went automatically back to the road, counting the miles to Madison.

This was bad.

They hadn't even been on the road for more than thirty minutes and he was already fantasizing about undressing her.

He bit his tongue again.

This was _Eric's sister_. Off limits to the max.

Eileen wasn't supposed to encourage him like this.

He was supposed to playfully flirt with her, and she was supposed to turn him down, like Donna.

Not dangle herself in front of him like the hot piece of ass she was.

"You know…" Eileen said, reaching to touch the bead around his neck, "I think about that night a lot."

Her voice was soft and gentle.

Heady.

Seductive.

Hungry.

Steven was screaming at himself in his head.

STAY STRONG. STAY STRONG. RESIST!

Her delicate, soft fingers brushed against his skin and suddenly his whole body craved her touch.

If this escalated, he wasn't going to make it to Madison.

"I still never said anything about…you know," she continued, pulling away.

Steven suddenly felt like he could breathe again. He glanced back at her, with clothes on.

She was sitting pretzel style, looking at the open road.

Her eyes were pensive and far away.

He looked back in front of him, taking a deep breath to calm down. "It got brought up with the guys the other night."

Eileen looked at him inquisitively. "Really? How?"

Hyde shrugged, once again at ease. "Well, we were uh…" he coughed, " _hanging out,_ and got to talking about pacts, and they figured out I made one with a girl, so they've been spending all week trying to figure out who it was."

She threw her head back, laughing. "That's hilarious. If they found out about me getting stuck in the treehouse, I wouldn't care anymore. It was so long ago." She stole herself a sideways glance at him, giving the ruffian a gentle nudge with her fist. "But I appreciate you keeping your promise anyway."

Hyde rewarded her praise with a soft smile. "Ditto, Muhammad."

She punched him harder, as if to prove his point.

After another hour of comfortable silence, Hyde found himself wanting to talk.

He rubbed his lips together, thinking. "You're not what I was expecting."

Eileen looked at him in confusion. "What _were_ you expecting?"

Hyde scoffed. "You're kidding right?"

She crossed her arms and frowned. "Yeah. I'm a real big joker." She said in a monotone voice.

He rolled his eyes. "You finished high school in two years. You dress like a china doll, you're always quiet around people and your record is as clean as your mom's counter. So I thought you'd be a stuck up, self-entitled, hair curling –"

"– You thought I was gonna be _Jackie_?!" She exclaimed in horror, punching him again.

He flinched. _That_ one actually _hurt_. "Could you stop with the hitting?!" he cried. "Verbatim, yeah. But you seem decent."

This time she stayed quiet. "Oh." she said softly, backtracking from her violence.

Hyde nodded. "You like Zeppelin, you don't take anyone's shit, you're versed in the ways of sarcasm, and hell, you'd be good to have in a fight." He rubbed his shoulder, despite his pride.

Eileen sighed. "Well…I guess going off of the little girl in a frilly white dress terrified of heights…that isn't stuff about me one would know right away," she admitted.

Steven looked over briefly as he said this. "I was just trying to say that…you aren't the goody-two-shoes everyone makes you out to be."

Eileen played with the shoelace of one of her Chucks. "You woulda known that a lot sooner if you'd bothered to talk to me," she said, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

It was then Steven took a good look at her.

A _real_ look.

The sun was setting, and the last rays of light caught the ends of her curls, turning them gold. She didn't have Donna's boyish confidence or Jackie's sense of self-entitlement.

She was someone different entirely.

Intelligent, deep, and filled with a melancholy that was so immense and lonely for someone her age.

He saw himself in her.

She wasn't the same child from that night in the treehouse.

Steven realized she probably hadn't been for a long time.

He just regretted it took him so long to notice.

Would he _ever_ have, if he hadn't volunteered on the fly to take Red's place?

He'd never know.

"But you _can_ talk to me," she said, jarring him from his revelation. She laughed gently. "Hell, you kept a secret for six years, I could probably trust you with anything."

That word pulled the breaks on the emotions flooding through him.

No.

Screwing around with her? Sure.

Admiring her as a person? Whatever.

But she could not _trust_ him.

Ever.

He was not a person to be trusted. Red had made a mistake in letting Steven anywhere near the pride and joy of the Forman Family.

He'd slept in backyards, broken into houses, lifted from stores, convinced people to do horrible things, done drugs, been in jail…

Whatever he'd thought about her, he needed to put on lockdown.

She was _not_ like him. He just _wanted_ her to be.

Eileen was smart and beautiful and too young.

She had a future.

He didn't.

Steven Hyde was not trustworthy. He was a crook who broke everything he touched.

Steven Hyde was the physical manifestation of a downward spiral, and he'd be damned if he was gonna drag her down with him.

His face became cold, his emotions once again hidden behind the shades he wore at all times.

Her words echoed in his head.

 _I could probably trust you with anything._

His jaw was tense as he spoke. "No, you can't. And you shouldn't."


	4. Chapter 4

Point Place, Wisconsin

March 6, 1976

6:27 p.m.

Location: Formans' Kitchen

Eric sat with Donna and Fez while Kitty dished out tuna casserole.

He had a permanent pout on his face. "This sucks," he said openly, propping up his head with his arm.

"Elbows off the table Eric," Kitty said gently but firmly, sitting down with them.

"Dis looks delicious, Mrs. Kitty," Fez said, beaming.

Kitty waved her hand. "Oh don't be silly it's just tuna casserole." She laughed, blushing. "I like your foreign friend, Eric he's so polite."

Donna held back a laugh, nudging Eric. "This wouldn't've happened if you'd just agreed to take Eileen to Madison yourself."

Eric shook his head. "Mom, why would Dad trust Hyde with his car, but not me?"

She tsked. "Well, honey, this is a big night for Ellie. She's home so much, all by herself…I think it's good that Steven's taking her out."

Eric laughed. "Wait wait hold on mom," he stretched his arm in a waving gesture. "Ellie is not on a _date_ with Hyde."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Well, what would _you_ call it? A _playdate_?"

Fez nodded. "No, I'd say more like babysitting."

Kitty scoffed. "Absolutely not. Steven _volunteered._ They looked so cute tonight, I could barely stand it. Ah Ha Ha Ha!"

Eric scowled. "Mom, Eileen is two years younger than us."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "So? Your father and I are six years apart, and it didn't stop _us_."

Donna shrugged. "I think what Eric means is it's not like Hyde _asked_ her out."

Kitty smiled, like she knew a secret. "Well, Eric…when a girl wears something that belongs to someone else…it _usually_ means they have a romantic interest in them."

Eric crossed his arms. "WHAT?! No way! You mean that Led Zeppelin Band Tee? She probably just thought it was mine or something."

Donna scrunched her face and shook her head. "Nah…we all pretty much know your wardrobe by now, Eric. You don't have any Band tees."

Kitty continued with her argument. "Take Donna for example. She wears your class ring."

Eric threw his hands up. "Well _yeah_ , because we're _dating_!"

Kitty gave him an "exactly!" expression.

Eric face dropped. "Oh no…" realization filled his eyes.

Donna chuckled at his expression. "I don't think they're dating, Mrs. Forman," she reassured.

Fez wiggled his eyebrows. "Not _yet_ , ennyvay."

Eric took a few bites of his tuna casserole and then retorted with, "Well, it doesn't matter if they're going out or not, because that's a major breach of the code."

Kitty looked at him with confusion. "What code?"

"It's this set of rules guys think are exclusive to them," Donna began, "But actually, girls have it too."

Fez cleared his throat. "Yes, and most principle of all…a man may not express loveen feeleens for a friend's ex-girlfriend or their seester."

"Oh!" Kitty said in realization. " _That_ code. But…with you and your friends it's different. You knew each other back when you were fighting over fruit snacks."

Eric swallowed in disgust. "Yeah, that's what makes it even weirder."

Donna scowled. "So you think going out with me is weird?"

 _Shit,_ Eric thought to himself. "No! No, that's…no I don't mean _you_. I mean like…Me and the guys. Like it'd be weird if one of the guys went out with Laurie or Ellie because we all grew up together."

Fez suddenly gasped, standing up from the chair. "Wait! I THINK I'M HAVEEN AN EPIPHANEE!"

Donna scooted her chair back a little. "Well…whatever that is, can you _not_ have one in the kitchen?"

Fez's smile reach the edges of his face. "No, no, Edeec! I dink I know who Hyde made dee pact vith!"

Eric sighed. "God…Fez, you're still on about that? It's old news, man."

Fez. "Listen," he said, counting off on his fingers. "It had to be a girl," he looked between the three of them, to see if anyone figured it out yet, "It vas many years ago, when you were all keds," he counted off again, "And it was someone he grew up with."

Eric raised an eyebrow, turning to his girlfriend. "Donna, was it you?" he asked.

Donna laughed. "No, I've never gotten into a pact with Hyde."

Fez grinned. "Vell…" he put his hands on his hips, "It could potentially be someone he likes _now_ …and it _may_ have been someone worth driveen to a concert with."

Eric shot him a look. "Fez, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. There's no way it was Ellie. Hyde doesn't even _like_ Ellie."

Fez jumped up and down with frustration. "But why else would he be willing to escort her to a concert? And she _vore_ _hees short_!"

Donna nodded in agreement. "Actually Eric, Fez is making a lot of sense. And his intuition with women isn't usually wrong."

Kitty laughed. "Well, this sounds like a job for Nancy Drew. Ah Ha ha ha! You know what? I'll look through some old photo albums, see if I can't find something to help you boys out."

Eric smiled passively. "Sure mom. Thanks."

Kitty started to clear the table after they finished eating. And the trio went down to the basement to continue their conversation.

Since Hyde wasn't present, Eric took the opportunity to sit in his chair. "It's bad enough Red trusted _Hyde_ over his own son with the family car, but if he only volunteered to take her so he could _make a move on her_ , then he's in deep crap."

Donna patted him on the shoulder. "I feel your pain, Eric," she said, smiling reassuringly. "It would really suck if your lonely little sister actually had the chance to fall in love and be happy."

Eric frowned. "Well, when you say it like _that,_ it makes me sound like a jerk."

Donna shrugged. "Hey, if the shoe fits, Foreskin," she laughed.

Fez held a finger up to make a point. "You know een _my_ country, it ees preferable to give your sister away to your best friend. Because it ees a man you know you can trust."

Eric scoffed. "Yeah? Well, in _this_ country, it doesn't fly. That would be like if Han and Leia were siblings, and Luke made out with her behind his back."

Fez laughed. "Oh puleeze eef anyvone are sibleens, it is Luke and Leia."

Eric shot him a dirty look. "You don't know what you're talking about Fez."

~.~

Madison, Wisconsin

March 6, 1976

8:36 p.m.

As Hyde and Eileen were walking together out of the colosseum, both were jittery and excited from the experience.

"I'm buying that album the second they put it on vinyl," Eileen said, unable to contain herself.

Hyde laughed. "Yeah…I'm _stealing_ that album once they put it on vinyl."

It was dark by the time they got outside, and they'd lost track of where they parked the car.

But when Eileen looked to the left behind the colosseum, her jaw dropped.

Hyde looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you're gaping like a –" but before he could finish she grabbed his face with her palms and turned his head to where she was looking.

Before them, was a shiny, gleaming black tour bus.

"That's…" she couldn't even say it.

Hyde was frozen where he stood but Eileen was already marching forward.

"Eileen!" He whispered harshly. "Where are you going?!" But she wasn't listening. He had no choice but to follow her. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

She finally stopped once she'd gotten to the front of it.

She was still gaping at it open-mouthed, like she was seeing light for the first time. "This is the Led Zeppelin Tour Bus," she said as if to confirm it to herself.

Hyde nodded. "Yep. She's a beauty." He was taken in by the sight of it as well.

Eileen turned to him with a wide grin. "We should go inside," she said, her tone mischievous.

Hyde's eyes almost fell out of its sockets, they were bugging out so much. "The concert just ended, they could be coming back any second."

Eileen nodded. "I know. Which is why we gotta do it fast." She bolted for the door, and before he knew it, she was flinging herself through the tour bus's main door.

He stepped in after her, only to be stopped right then and there.

In front of them was a man with dark, long permed hair. The man was dressed in an all-black striped suit with a white scarf tied around his neck, a guitar in his lap.

He looked up at the two stragglers, and Eileen fell to her knees.

Hyde flushed with embarrassment.

"You're Jimmy Page," Eileen said breathlessly, putting a hand over her mouth.

The ruffian stared at Eileen in shock, and then looked back at the man.

He realized the guitar player couldn't have been anyone else.

"Oh my God, you're Jimmy Page," Hyde blurted, feeling weak in the knees himself. "I-I'm so sorry, w-we were j-just leaving, man," Hyde said, pulling Eileen by the arm to her feet.

But the man held a hand up. "Hey. You two were at the concert tonight?" his British accent was jarring to hear in person.

Eileen nodded. "It was amazing."

Hyde swallowed. "It was right on, man," he said honestly.

Jimmy Page laughed. "Glad you both had a good time." He got up from the sofa, the guitar hanging over his body. "Well, um, pretty soon here me and the boys have to hit the road but…want an autograph or something?"

Eileen got back to her feet, trying to breathe normally. "I p-play g-guitar t-too," she couldn't help but say, and it all came rushing out. "You were the person who inspired me to learn how to play."

He smiled. "Really? You play? Can I hear a little something?" He took the strap off of his shoulder and handed the guitar for Eileen to take.

She stared at it in disbelief.

It was a Black Cherry Burst Fender Telecaster with black frets. The most beautiful electric guitar she'd ever laid eyes on.

It was probably already worth over eight hundred dollars.

But because Jimmy Page had played it, touched it, used it for a concert…that made it worth thousands.

"You want me to…?" He heart was hammering in her chest. But she was powerless to refuse.

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, let's see what you've got."

Hyde couldn't believe it.

He was standing in front of the Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, inside their tour bus.

And he asked _Eileen_ to play for _him_.

He wordlessly watched, awe struck.

She was shaking. "Okay," she said shyly, her face flushed with color. Eileen slung the strap over her shoulder, getting a feel for the weight of the guitar, and started playing.

Like those hundreds of times before, Stairway to Heaven flowed from her fingertips with ease.

Jimmy smiled when he recognized the song. "That's an old one," he said, impressed. "Do you know the words, by chance?"

Hyde's heart fell in his stomach. _He's asking her to sing._

Eileen didn't hesitate. " _There's a lady who's sure_ ," she began, " _All that glitters is gold_ _…_ _And she's buying a stairway to heaven._ _"_

Steven gazed at her, unable to tear away a shred of his attention.

Eileen was completely captivating.

She was holding it together in front of the lead Guitarist of Led Zeppelin, _and_ performing.

And she sounded _good._

" _When she gets there she knows_ _, if_ _the stores are all closed,_ _with a word she can get what she came for._ _Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to heaveeeeeen."_

She continued on for a bit until Jimmy Page clapped. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Like an Angel."

The spell was broken and suddenly Eileen was a bubbly schoolgirl. "That's really funny," she said giggling her head off, "Cuz it's called…Stairway to Heaven…and you said Angel…ha ha, that's _hilarious._ " Her entire face was glowing.

Eileen went to take the strap off of her shoulder, but Jimmy Page held a hand up. "No no, that guitar is yours."

Ellie's jaw might as well have hit the floor. "No way," she said.

Hyde couldn't help it. "No way," he said after her.

Jimmy nodded. "Love…you've got a gift. You deserve that guitar, for putting both I _and_ Rob to shame." He pulled out a marker from his pocket and signed the front of it. "Just promise me you'll keep playing, so that one day _I'll_ be doing an opening performance for _you_."

Eileen nodded. "Oh my god of course! I…yes! Thank you so much!" She hugged the guitar close to her and hopped out of the bus, as if to hold on to the moment forever.

The lead guitarist smiled. "That's a very special girl you've got there."

Hyde shrugged. "Nah, we…we came together, but she's not…we're not…"

Jimmy shook his head. "No no no, that won't do," he said, looking Hyde dead in the eye. "This world won't let girls play electric guitar, but there will come a day when it does, and when that day comes…she's going to tear this world in half."

Hyde put his hands in his pockets to stop them from shaking. He was transfixed by the man's words.

"If you've got any sense," he said, "you'll do anything to make sure you're at her side when that happens."

Hyde's heart was pounding in his chest. "But…she's my best friend's sister. It kinda breaks this… _code_ thing."

Jimmy smiled. "Codes are meant to be broken. If they weren't, we never would've had rock n roll. When I was sixteen, I dropped out of high school. Now here I am. I never would've gotten here if I hadn't thrown the status quo aside."

Hyde nodded. "Your words reek of wisdom, righteousness, and anarchy. Therefore…I will brand your advice into my soul for all time." He shot him a grin.

Jimmy Page picked up a thin case from a box of them, signing it quickly and handing it to Hyde. "Rock on," he said.

The young teen looked at the brand new record in complete happiness. "Sweet! Now I don't have to st –" He paused, realizing Jimmy Page was glaring at him.

"Have to what?" he asked, his arms crossed.

"Um… Hyde began, slowly backing away, " _Buy_ it," he said.

"Sure. You can go now."


	5. Chapter 5

Later that Night…

11:04 p.m.

The night was quiet and warm with a cool breeze.

Eric sat on the lawn chair, leaning his head on Donna. "I'm sorry the movie didn't work out," he said softly.

But the foxy red head just smiled. "It really is okay, Eric. I had fun with you anyway. I'll see you later." She gave him a soft kiss before walking across his driveway towards her house.

"Goodnight," he said after her, smiling to himself.

At least she had a good time.

Eric was about to head inside but he heard the rumble of a car pull up.

It was Red in the Vista Cruiser.

Eric felt a pang of disappointment, expecting Hyde and Ellie.

Red stepped out from his late shift at the plant, stretching and smiling.

Eric didn't want to pick a fight with him, knowing he was tired, but…

"Hey, Dad," he said, walking towards him.

Red cleared his throat, locking up the Vista Cruiser. "Here Eric," he handed the keys back to him. "See? Got her home safe and sound. You can go to bed now."

Eric scoffed. "No, that's…that's not what I…It's just – "

"– Eric could you please just spit it out, I'm exhausted and I want to go to bed."

The young teen flushed with color, standing ramrod straight. "Why did you trust Hyde with the car?"

Red raised an eyebrow. "He was the only one who could take Ellie to the concert."

Eric scrunched his face in confusion. "Wait…are you saying that if _I'd_ agreed to take Eileen to Madison, you would've let me borrow the Toyota?"

Red nodded. "Yeah. It's the only car that can make the trip."

Eric stared at the ground. "Oh. I feel stupid."

Red laughed. "Well, uh…that's not anything _new_ for you, is it?"

Eric glared. "Thanks, Dad."

Red pointed his finger at Eric's chest. "Hey. Don't give me that look. I know you replaced the battery in the Cruiser. It _could've_ made it to Madison, you just tried to use it as an excuse to get out of driving there."

Eric crossed his arms over himself, completely mortified. "That's the real reason you took the car, isn't it?"

Red nodded. "Ah-huh. You lie to me, you don't get to go out with Donna."

His son at this point was frustrated and annoyed, knowing he'd been played. "So this whole time I could've taken Donna to the movies?! Did you even have to work tonight?!"

Red nodded. "Sure, for a couple hours…but these past _few_ , I was cruising around town, the wind in my hair."

Eric scowled, his gaze going from the top of Red's shiny bald head back to his father's eyes. "You know you _could_ just admit you hate me."

"Well _yeah_ , but this is more fun," Red said, shooting him a megawatt smile.

Eric rolled his eyes, resolving to head inside.

Not too long after, the Toyota pulled up.

Red stood off to the side, waiting.

Hyde stepped out first, brushing himself off and walking around to the other side to open up Eileen's door.

She stepped out, her cheeks rosy pink and grinning from ear to ear, the black cherry guitar in her arms.

Red smiled. "Hey kids! How was the concert?"

Eileen was beside herself. "Dad oh my god, the music was unreal! And we met Jimmy Page! _The_ Jimmy Page, and he asked me to play for him and he loved it so much he gave me his guitar and he signed it and he said to keep playing and –"

Hyde put a hand on her shoulder. "– She had a good time," he said, unable to keep a smile off his face.

Red gave his daughter a warm hug. "Well, that's great. I'm sorry I couldn't take you myself, but I think you had more fun this way anyway."

Eileen kissed Red's cheek. "It wasn't exactly your scene, but you _definitely_ missed out, Dad!"

She slung the guitar over her head so her hands were free.

"Goodnight, Steven," she said, giving him a huge hug.

Hyde cleared his throat, nervous about showing affection in front of her father. He resolved to wrap an arm around her and pat her back. "Get some sleep, Muhammad. You'll need it if you're gonna be the next Keith Richards."

She walked inside, her white dress sashaying behind her, closing the sliding door.

Hyde nodded to Red. "Hey, Man. How was work?"

Red patted him on the shoulder. "Here," he pulled out ten dollars and held it out for him to take. "For getting my daughter home safe."

Hyde looked at the money, immediately calculating how many beers ten dollars would get him…

But then withdrew, taking a step back. "No," he said, no further explanation.

Red raised an eyebrow. "No?"

Hyde shook his head. "Nah, I'm good, Red."

Red bit his lip, crossing his arms. "Why?"

Hyde shrugged. "I already got a free concert ticket out of it, I met the lead guitarist of my favorite band…that's bucket list material right there…and uh…I had a good time, so…I'm good."

"Hm," Red said thoughtfully. "What _really_ brought this on?" He said knowingly.

The young rock n roller shifted his weight, not wanting to say it at first. "Well…let me put it this way," he started, avoiding eye contact. "When the rocker you've been idolizing since you were ten years old decides to bestow you with words of wisdom…you listen."

Red grinned. "You considered it a date," he wagged his finger at him.

" _No_ ," Hyde said in defiance, still looking away. "I just really enjoyed myself."

Red frowned. "But not _too_ much," he said, warning in his tone.

Hyde quickly shook his head. "Right," he affirmed, staking another step back.

Red laughed. "Good. Well, Goodnight Steven."

"Yeah, man," Hyde said.

Red got inside the sliding door before Hyde started walking home.

But he had one more stop he wanted to make first.

~.~

Eric made it up the main stairs and was about to head into his bedroom, but was halted by Kitty.

"Oh Eric," she said, smiling, "I don't think I found anything to help you with your little mystery, but I did find _this_." She pulled him close and held up a framed picture.

"See? It's the three of you all together." She looked at the photo warmly.

But Eric remembered that day differently.

Laurie had locked Eileen in the downstairs closet to see how long it would take before she started crying, since Eileen had been afraid of the dark.

A young, fourteen year old Laurie was on the left of the photograph, her arms crossed like she was waiting for the photo shoot to get over with.

Eileen's eyes had been red from crying, but of course you couldn't tell that in a black and white photograph. She was shown on the right side of the picture, a perfect doll in a frilly dress.

But to make her feel better, Eric beaded together a bracelet like they'd taught him to do in summer camp and gave it to Ellie as a gift.

Little Eileen had her arms around Eric, hugging him tightly for dear life. Any onlooker could see the bracelet on her wrist.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" Eric asked.

Kitty smiled. "Well, if you take good care of it. It's the only photo I have of all of you together like that."

Eric frowned. "And it will _continue_ to be the only photo of its kind."

Kitty playfully hit his arm. "Oh, don't be silly. I always have my camera ready. AH HA HA!"

Her son begrudgingly gave her a goodnight hug.

He was about to go into his room but stopped when he heard Ellie's familiar footsteps running up the stairs.

"Hey," he said, once she came into view.

She was in her outdated white dress, clutching a guitar wearing slightly dirtied converse. "Hey, brother," she said, beaming.

Eric nudged her. "Did you have a good time?" he asked.

Eileen nodded. "It was incredible, Eric. And Steven…he was so sweet to take me. It was so cool to go with someone who likes all the same music I do." She looked away, biting her lip.

Eric cleared his throat. "Well, um…I mean it's not like it was a _date,_ or anything…right?"

Suddenly Eileen looked up and blinked with confusion. "What if it _was_?"

Eric's mouth formed a hard line. "Eileen, you don't know Hyde like I do. He's not…really… _boyfriend_ material."

But Eileen just scoffed and shook her head, outraged by Eric's forwardness. "Steven was a complete gentleman the whole time. He didn't lay _a hand_ on me. And I don't see how it's your business anyway."

Eric stared at her in disbelief. "Um, _I dunno_ maybe it's because… _you're my sister_? And I don't want you to get hurt?"

Eileen propped the guitar against the wall so she could cross her arms. "Eric, contrary to what you seem to believe, I'm a big girl. If I get hurt, I get hurt, but _I'll_ be the judge of whether a guy is a jerk to me or not. So far, _you're_ the only jerk I've come into contact with today."

Eric sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere. "You're right, I'm sorry. I…I'm happy you had fun." He cleared his throat. "And uh, here I should show you this." He handed her the photo to look at.

She took the framed picture and stared at it, suddenly biting her lip, looking lost in thought. "I remember that day," she said, her emotions guarded. "If there hadn't been a flashlight, I never would've lasted two hours in that closet."

Eric nodded, looking down at Ellie's wrist…

Which no longer had a bracelet.

"Hey, uh…speaking of which…whatever happened to that bracelet I gave you?"

Eileen blushed. "W-what bracelet?" she asked, refusing to look at him.

But her brother wasn't buying it. "The one in the photograph you're currently staring at."

She cleared her throat, handing back the photo to him. "W-well, honestly, Eric I m-mean it was s-so long ago…I don't remember. I p-probably _lost_ it."

Eric frowned. "Ellie, Donna gave you a guitar pic when she found one at a garage sale seven years ago and you _still_ have it. And that was _before_ you even picked up guitar!"

Eileen was suddenly stiff, apprehensive. "What's your point, Eric?"

The teenage boy scowled. " _My point_ is you're not the kind of person to just _lose_ things. You're very responsible. And…that bracelet was special. _I_ made it for you."

Ellie suddenly looked guilty, giving him a sad look. "Okay. If it makes you feel better, tomorrow morning I'll look for it. Goodnight, Eric." She leaned over to give him a brief hug, then went into her room, closing the door behind her.

Eric put his hands on his hips, silently fuming.

Something was up.

He marched downstairs, through the living room and through the kitchen.

Red was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer.

"Is Hyde still outside?" Eric asked, his eyes intense and angry.

Red looked at his son, perplexed. "Eric, even if he is, do you really need to talk to him _now_? It's almost midnight for crying out loud, your mother's in bed – "

But Red didn't finish before Eric stormed outside.

~.~

Hyde stood in front of the patch of dirt in the Forman's backyard, where once upon a time, the tree house stood.

He chewed his bottom lip, remembering the night it all started.

Somehow, a well-kept secret had intertwined their lives to this very day.

And after tonight, the way he viewed Eileen was completely different.

She was a woman with a fire in her soul, a fist at the ready and a voice that froze him where he stood.

He thought back to the moment in the car when she changed back into her white dress.

It was like Cinderella, but in reverse. Once Eileen had put on the stonewashed denim flare jeans, dirty chucks and Band Tee, she became Ellie, a Sex Pistol with a passion for rock and roll and a punch to reckon with.

A woman he'd undressed with his eyes.

But at midnight, the true Ellie was buried down deep, the dress came back on, and she turned back into the perfect princess she was supposed to be.

At the concert, she was just the coolest girl he'd ever met, who even impressed Jimmy Page, the God of Rock Gods.

But here, in Point Place, she was Eric's sister.

Untouchable.

"Hyde?!" A voice called from the driveway.

Steven recognized the voice as Eric's. He walked up through the yard.

"Hey, Forman," he said. "What's up?"

The back light was still on, so when Hyde stepped into it, Eric could see him perfectly.

"Look," he said, his voice firm, "I don't know what's going on between you and my sister, but whatever it is, it needs to stop."

Hyde ground his teeth, his heart hammering in his chest, despite himself. "Forman, all I did was drive her to a Led Zeppelin concert, and drive her home. I don't know what you're freaking out about."

But Eric crossed his arms. "Hyde…you tried to steal Donna. Multiple times. And I'm sure you made a move on her, or tried. That's bad enough. But you can't do that to my sister too."

Hyde shot his a dirty look. "Forman, you seriously need to get over that. Okay? And Eileen can make decisions for herself. You don't need to _ride in on your noble stead_ to save her."

"I _care_ about her! I mean, I hate Laurie because she's evil! Ellie's the only good sister I've got."

Hyde gave Eric a shove, almost knocking him off his feet. "If you cared about her, then _you_ would've taken her to the concert instead of _ditching_ her for Donna. The only reason I even _took_ her was because I was picking up _your_ slack!"

To that, Eric didn't know what to say. He sighed.

Hyde pointed his finger at Eric's chest. "For the record, Eileen is one of the coolest people I've ever met. I actually had a really great time with her tonight, and nothing even happened. And you're dumb for wanting to miss out on time with her, because she's amazing!"

Eric yelled back, "Well it doesn't matter how amazing she is, because you can't _like_ her like that!"

"What do you wanna do, Eric?! Hand me a list of all the women in Point Place that are off limits to me because _you_ say so?!"

"YEAH! Here's the list! DONNA LAURIE ELLIE!" Eric exclaimed.

Both the boys had gritted teeth, their chests puffed out.

Hyde was close to Eric, almost nose-to-nose.

It was then Eric saw it.

The bead around Hyde's neck.

"Oh my god," Eric muttered in realization, staring at it.

Hyde backed away. "What?" he said, annoyance in his tone.

"The necklace you wear…it's the same as…" he looked up at Hyde face, fury overtaking him. "It _was_ her. Fez was right."

Hyde scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

Eric shook his head. He'd never realized how far back this went.

Hyde could've liked Eileen this whole time. Ever since they were kids.

It could be why Hyde wanted to hang out with him all the time. What if that was the only reason they became friends? So he could move in on Ellie?

"It was Eileen," Eric said, fury in his voice. "It was _my sister_ you made the pact with!"


	6. Chapter 6

Point Place, Wisconsin

Monday, March 8, 1976

Spring Break

Location: Forman's Basement

4:53 p.m.

The gang was sitting in their usual spots, staring blankly at the black and white television screen.

Jackie pursed her lips in disgust. "Why are we watching Green Acres? I _hate_ farms and dirt."

Kelso frowned. " _Because,_ Jackie, Charlie's Angels is right afterwards, which starts in a few minutes."

Donna was sitting on the end of the couch, without Eric. She leaned to talk to Hyde. "Hey, where's Eric?"

Hyde rolled his eyes. "Who cares," he said dismissively.

Fez raised an eyebrow. "Vell, it _ees_ Edeec's basement."

Kelso chewed on a twizzler. "Yeah, where _is_ Eric? He's gonna miss out on seeing Jaclyn Smith's ta tas."

Donna scoffed. "The last time I saw him was Saturday night, and he was fine."

Hyde sat back in his chair, his feet up on the small circle table in the center of their space, his arms crossed.

Fez looked over at Hyde inquisitively. "I bet Hyde knows somedeen," he said. "He's been giveen a lot less sarcasdeec remarks dan usual."

Today, Hyde was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans. He didn't want to bring attention to the necklace he refused to take off, which now felt like a throbbing beacon of betrayal.

He still hadn't talked to Eileen since that night. She'd had no idea anything even happened between Hyde and her brother.

Donna grinned with mischief. "Yeeeaah….now that you mention it Fez, Hyde _has_ been awfully quiet. Anything you wanna tell us?"

He wasn't going to take the chance. The young teen in shades stood up to leave. "You know what? I'm gonna take off."

Kelso gasped. "Hyde, what the hell is more important than Charlie's Angels?!"

Fez was equally appalled. "Yez, that ees some of deh best cleavage on television!"

Steven clenched his jaw. "I'm just not in the mood, okay? See you guys later."

He stomped over to the basement door to leave only to have it opened for him.

Standing in front of him, flustered with pink cheeks was Eileen.

He couldn't help it.

His eyes wandered from her stark blue eyes all the way down her luscious figure.

She was wearing some cute high waist-ed jeans that hugged her body and an AC/DC Tee, all under a brown leather jacket.

Princess Eileen had left the building.

The Sex pistol Ells Bells had taken her place, and was here to stay.

The young girl bit her lip. "Hi, Steven," she said breathlessly, clearing her throat. "How are you?"

Hyde swallowed, realizing how close he was standing to her.

She was half on the top step of the stairs that led outside, so they were eye-to-eye.

"Hey," he said. "I'm…um…"

The four teens tore their eyes from the television long enough to witness the exchange, silent with expectation.

"I got home just in time for Charlie's Angels," she said, a huge smile on her face. "Do you guys mind if I watch it with you? Mom and Dad are hogging the TV upstairs."

Jackie, being very intuitive, caught on quickly to what was going on. "Of course! Have a seat," she said beaming, patting the spot between her and Donna.

Hyde stepped aside so Eileen could walk down to the basement.

Jackie crossed her legs and clasped her hands in her lap. "So, what's in the bags?" she said inquisitively.

Eileen raised an eyebrow, surprised Jackie was being so nice to her. "Well, Mom just took me shopping for some new clothes."

Kelso wiggled his eyebrows. "Ooh, did you get any sexy lingerie?" he laughed wickedly.

Hyde gritted his teeth.

Yeah, he couldn't leave now.

He stomped back over to sit in his chair, sulking.

Now he was gonna run into Forman and have to deal with his crap.

Donna laughed. "I thought you were –"

"– Shut up," he said immediately, cutting her off.

Jackie was going through the clothes with Eileen. "Oh _wow_ , you actually have really good taste in clothes," she gushed. "Like this off the shoulder white peasant top. Isn't this _cute_ , Hyde?" she hinted, winking.

But all Hyde could do was picture what it would be like to kiss Eileen's shoulders while she was wearing it. "Yeah," he said in monotone.

The redhead to his left grinned. "Hey Hyde, um…Eric and I were talking with Fez the other night…and we have a _theory_ about something."

Hyde shot her a glare. "Good for you."

Kelso exclaimed with interest. "What is it?" he asked excitedly.

Before Donna could respond, however, there was a pair of footsteps descending down from upstairs.

Hyde's mouth formed a hard line.

 _Great._

Eric descended, getting to the foot of the couch and scowling at his sister. "Oh. Hello, Eileen," he said in a tone suggestive of resentment.

Ellie turned around and flushed with anger. "Oh, are you done giving me the silent treatment now?" she shot back.

Kelso giggled. "Oh man, _forget_ Charlie's Angels. The _real_ show is about to start right now."

Jackie hit him on the arm, but tuned in to listen.

"You lied to me." Eric said, his hands on his hips.

Eileen rolled her eyes. "About what?"

Eric pointed at Hyde. "You didn't _lose_ the bracelet I made you. You took it apart and gave it to Hyde."

Kelso and Fez both exclaimed, "WHAT?!" In unison.

Hyde stood up again from his chair. "Forman, lay off her."

Eric scoffed. "Um, no no no. It's not up to you to defend my sister."

Hyde crossed his arms. "Well I'm not gonna sit here and let you rag on her."

But Eileen wasn't going to put up with this. She stood from the couch and marched over to her brother. " _This_ is the reason you haven't talked to me for two days? Seriously? How old _are_ you?!" She swatted Eric on the arm.

Eric pushed her hand away. "Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "Well why did you do it, Ellie?!"

The young girl ran a hand through her hair, embarrassed. "I...I made him a promise. And I needed something to seal the deal, so…"

Fez jumped out of his chair, jumping up and down. "I was right! I was right! I was right!"

Kelso clung to Jackie's arms, on the edge of his seat. "Wait…The girl Hyde made a pact with was _you_?!" he pointed at Eileen like she'd committed a crime.

Hyde shook his head, thoroughly pissed.

He hadn't wanted his business to be broadcasted like this.

"Eileen, drop it," he said, his words coming out harsher than he'd meant them.

But Eileen wasn't backing down. "No, you know what? Maybe I should just –"

"– No, Eileen, _don't_!"

She threw her hands up, exasperated. "Well apparently if one secret can turn Eric's universe on its head than it's not worth having," she said, shooting her brother the dirtiest look she'd ever given.

Hyde walked up to her. "Who _cares_? It was when we were kids, it doesn't have any relevance now!"

Eric huffed. "Is that why you still wear it?" he asked. "Because it's _not relevant_?"

Hyde clenched his teeth, his fists balled at his sides.

He was getting pissed.

Donna raised a hand. "Actually, the word you're looking for Eric is _irrelevant_ ," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Eileen shoved her brother. "You know what? You wanna know what the pact was about? If I tell you will it resolve everything? 'Cuz I'll do it!"

Hyde stepped between Eric and Eileen, laying a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter," he insisted, trying to put conviction behind his words.

He didn't want to have to explain to them…

The three were locked in a death stare before Kitty's voice broke the tension.

" _Eric, Ellie, Laurie's home!"_

Suddenly the mood completely changed.

Eric's shoulders loosened up, and he sighed, not looking forward to seeing his brat of a sister.

Hyde's eyes filled with surprise when he saw that Ellie's gaze actually pooled with fear.

"Donna, I'll be at your place," Ellie said quickly, running to leave, but not before pushing a finger hard at Hyde's chest, saying in a rush, "If you breathe a word of our pact, I'll wreck you with my Telecaster."

She bolted to the back door and ran out of it, as if for dear life.

Eric resolved to head up the stairs, facing the music now so he wouldn't have to later.

Donna and Jackie looked at each other.

Jackie could barely contain herself. "Donna, let's go to your place," she said, eager for the scoop.

Donna rolled her eyes, knowing what she was in for, but following Jackie out the door regardless.

Hyde rolled his shoulders, putting his fingers in the pockets of his jeans. "I know that was a _threat_ ," he began, biting his lip, "but that is without a doubt the hottest thing a girl has ever said to me."

~.~

Eileen didn't make it far before she'd run into the Devil herself.

Laurie smiled her perfect set of white teeth. "Hello, my dearest sister," she said, giving her a tight hug.

As Donna and Jackie came up the stairs, Ellie shot them a look over Laurie's shoulder. "Hey Laurie," she said, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Whoa, I'm diggin' the new look," she said, nodding with approval. "Finally showing off what our momma gave you, huh? Is it for a _boy_?"

Eileen couldn't get sucked into Laurie's game.

She couldn't know about Steven.

If Laurie found out, she'd ruin it. Eileen wasn't sure how, but her sister had a natural knack for making her life miserable.

"I'll see you later, sis," she said simply before walking briskly across the driveway to Donna's house.

The other two girls met up with her quickly, leading her into the house.

~.~

Dinner was tense, to say the least.

Laurie did her very best to stir the pot. "Does Ellie have a boyfriend or something?"

Red laughed. "Of course not, Kitten. Why do you ask?"

Laurie sighed. "Well, Daddy, I just saw her and she's wearing all new clothes, she does her hair differently…I think she might have even been wearing makeup."

Kitty shook her head. "Well _of course_ she is, Laurie. You started wearing it when _you_ were her age."

Eric chewed his chicken, contemplating an idea.

If anyone could get the Hyde-Ellie mess straightened out, it was Laurie.

It would be a despicable move on his part, but…

He cleared his throat. "There _is_ a guy she likes but they're not going out."

If Laurie was a cat, her ears would've perked up. "Ooh, who is it? Is it one of those delinquent friends of yours that are always hanging around the house?"

Kitty scoffed. "Oh, _can it_. I just took her out to buy new clothes because she'd outgrown her old ones. And the fashion is different nowadays. Girls can wear pants too. Ah ha ha ha!"

Red took a drink of his water, thinking over their words. "You're not usually this forthcoming with information, Eric. Why the sudden interest in Eileen's business?"

 _Shit._ Eric clammed up. Why was Red siding with Ellie? Did he _know_?

Laurie pursed her lips. "Yeah come to think of it, dear brother, Daddy has a point. How about you? How are things with you and _Donna_? Did she find a better boyfriend yet who _doesn't_ play with dolls?"

Eric glared at her. "Why are you even _home_? Shouldn't you be whoring around Fort Lauderdale for spring break?"

Red shot him a look. "Eric that is _no_ way to talk to your sister. After dinner, I'd like you to apologize."

Eric scoffed. "Are you kidding me?!"

"I wasn't _asking_ ," Red said in a dark tone.

Eric frowned down at the rest of his mashed potatoes.

Well, _that_ had backfired horribly.

~.~

Jackie played with Eileen's hair while Donna got them a bowl of chips to snack on.

"So," Jackie said, in full-gossip mode, "Do you _like_ Hyde?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Not everyone's love life is your business, Jackie." But then she looked over at Ellie. "But _do_ you?"

The youngest of the three girls averted her eyes, blushing shyly. "I dunno," she said dismissively.

Jackie squealed. "Oh my god, you _do_!"

Donna laughed. "Jackie, shut up! She doesn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to."

Jackie caught herself. "I mean…you know you're _pretty_ , right? You could do a lot better than him. You could get a guy who's clean, handsome, athletic, smart…rich –"

"– _Anyway_ ," Donna interrupted mercifully, "If you _do_ like him, you should say so. Like ask him out or something."

Jackie made a face. "Ew, no! Girls never ask out the guy. Ever. Unless you're like a feminist or something."

Donna scowled. "Being a feminist just means that you believe men and women should have equal opportunities in life."

Jackie placed her hands palms-up in front of her chest. "Hey, if it means that the man doesn't open the door for me or pay for my dinner, then screw it."

Eileen sighed, shaking her head. "Whether I like him or not, obviously Eric has a problem with it."

"Well, screw Eric," Donna said, smiling.

Eileen chuckled. "Isn't that what _you're_ supposed to be doing?" she bit her lip.

Donna hit her with a pillow. "Shut up!" she said laughter in her voice.

Jackie repositioned herself so she was sitting face to face with Eileen. "Look, what you have to do is make yourself so irresistible that he can't help but ask you out himself."

Donna groaned in annoyance. "Hyde is stubborn and prideful. He'll never do it himself, even if he wants to. _You_ have to take the initiative."

Jackie hit Donna with the throw pillow. "No! Bad Donna! Spew your feminist crap at someone who cares!"

Donna took the pillow from Jackie and threw it off to the side. "Hey, do you mind if I ask something?"

Eileen shrugged. "Shoot," she said.

Donna put a strand of hair behind her ear. "What was the pact with him over, anyway?"

Jackie immediately sat upright, beginning to eat the chips and stare at Eileen like she was a film reel.

The young rocker girl tilted her head up, picturing the fateful day that changed the way she saw Steven Hyde forever.

"Well," she began, "Donna, do you remember the tree house we used to have?"

Donna thought for a minute, and then nodded. "Yeah, I remember. A bad storm knocked it down one year."

Eileen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well, Laurie would tease me all the time, calling me a coward because I was too scared to climb up."

Jackie scrunched her face in disgust. "Don't tree houses have bugs? Personally, I don't blame you for not wanting to sit in a dirty wooden box outside."

Eileen shook her head. "No, I _did_ want to. And I wanted to prove her wrong. So one night, after everyone went home…I did it. All by myself. But once I'd gotten up there, I was too scared to climb down."

By this point, both the girls fell silent, listening intently to her story.

Eileen let a small smile escape. "It was later that someone finally climbed up into the tree house. It was Steven."

Jackie grinned girlishly. "Oh wow, how romantic," she squealed.

Donna just giggled. "Jackie, they were _kids_ ," she pointed out.

Eileen laughed. "Well, long story short, he carried me down and swore never to tell Laurie or anyone else what had happened. I was so embarrassed about it."

Donna put a hand over her mouth, hiding her smile. "Okay, that's like…the cutest story I've ever heard," she said, her eyes sparkling.

Jackie scowled. "That's it? You didn't even kiss him or anything?"

Eileen exclaimed in horror. "I was _ten!"_

Jackie shook her head. "Well, whatever. That's still super disappointing." The short firecracker went over to the front door of Donna's house and opened it, pointing outside. "Come back when you have some _real_ dirt!" she exclaimed.


	7. Chapter 7

Point Place, Wisconsin

Later that day….

7:02 p.m.

Location: Forman's Basement

Three bags of chips and half a blunt later, the boys were hanging out in the basement after dinner.

Kelso was playing with a paddleball, five seconds from breaking it. "Well, I think today's events concluded with a bang."

Eric sat back against the couch, his arms crossed. "I guess for the sake of our friendship, I'll learn to let this pact thing go."

Hyde scoffed. "Um yeah, _could_ you? Like I said, it's ancient history."

The scrawny teen bit his lip in thought. "Look, I won't forget this betrayal…but now, we've got bigger fish to fry." Laurie's smirking face popped into his mind.

Hyde adjusted his shades. "Is Ells still at Donna's?"

Eric shot him a dirty look. "You're not allowed to call her Ells."

Hyde ignored him. "It's been like, two hours."

Fez grinned. "Ooh! I bet Jackie and Donna are given her a makeovehr and teacheen her how to kees."

Kelso laughed in response. "Oh, man I hope so."

Eric punched Kelso. "Dude! Seriously?! My girlfriend _and_ my sister?!"

But the dimwitted young man just scoffed. "Oh _please_ , Eric, you know if it doesn't work with Donna, she's gonna come runnin' to me, right?"

Hyde lit a stick of incense. " _Eileen_ ran outta here pretty quick before."

Eric nodded. "Cuz Laurie's home."

He blew out the flame at the end of the nag champa so the smoke would swirl up into the air. "So?"

Eric gave him a "duh" expression. "She's Satan, man."

Hyde shook his head. "No. It's one thing to butt heads, but she actually looked _scared shitless_."

Eric bit his lip, not sure whether or not to divulge. "Laurie was always evil, even when we were kids. She uses every chance to emasculate me or get me into trouble…but with Ells it was always worse."

A knot of anxiety formed in the teen's stomach. _I really need to stop talking about her in circles,_ Hyde thought.

Kelso nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh! Remember that time she hid Dr. Teddy for like three weeks, and she wouldn't tell Eileen where he was and then she finally admitted to throwing him in the garbage disposal?"

Fez clicked his tongue. "Sounds like someteen even Dr. Teddy could not cure," he said remorsefully.

Eric bit his lip, suddenly overcome with guilt. "She locked Eileen in a closet, cut all her hair off in her sleep, chased her around the kitchen with a butcher knife…"

Hyde shook his head in disbelief. "So why didn't you ever do anything?" He punched him.

Eric flinched. "Ow! Hey! Look, I tried but ever since Ellie was born, Laurie's had it in for her."

Fez sighed. "It eez because Laurie eez jealous of Eileen."

Kelso raised an eyebrow. "Fez, that's crazy. Laurie has bigger boobs, she's _way_ hotter _and_ she's _blonde_. If anything, _Eileen_ is jealous of _her."_

Fez shook his head. "Eileen is innocent, smart, successful and respectful. All tings zat Laurie _is not."_

Eric sat back in his chair, contemplating. "Huh. You know, Fez might have a point."

The foreign exchange student scoffed. "Are you _keedeen_?! I'm zeh only one who's been makeen any sense all _VEEK_!" He exclaimed.

Kelso grinned. "Yeah, that's kinda true. He was right about the pact thing, he was right about Eileen liking Hyde, and he's right about Laurie being j – "

"– Wait, whadayamean, _Eileen liking Hyde_?" Hyde asked, almost choking on his coca cola.

Fez giggled. "Oh mai god, eet ees so obvious," he couldn't stop smiling.

Eric scowled, but held it back. "Well…if she likes you, and you like her…I guess it's better than you liking Donna, so – "

But Hyde stood up, ready to be done with this conversation. "Look, the whole point of the circle is to talk about stupid, meaningless things while we unwind and demolish Forman's pantry. I am sick of all this she-likes-him-he-likes-her drama bullshit. If I wanted that, I'd just listen to Jackie talk or watch _Days of Our Lives_."

Kelso nodded. "Hyde's right. Plus I doubt Ellie will even make it through this week, so it's not like this conversation is relevant anyways."

Hyde looked at him in disbelief. "Do you even _know_ what the word _relevant_ means?"

Kelso crossed his arms and pouted. "Hyde, if I wasn't allowed to use words that I don't understand, our conversations would be _very_ limited!"

~.~

Eventually, Ellie had no choice but to return home for dinner.

Thankfully, Laurie was hanging around the front door sorting through mail. She took the opportunity to snag a left over dinner roll and hide by the telephone.

As Kitty was clearing the dishes, she saw this behavior, raising an eyebrow. "You missed dinner."

Ellie scarfed down the dinner roll and then laughed. "I just got back from hanging with the girls at Donna's that's all. I lost track of time."

But Kitty put a hand on her hip. "You're avoiding your sister."

Eileen drank down some milk she poured for herself, then shrugged. "No, I'm not."

Kitty sighed, putting the dishes in the sink. "Honey, she's in college now. The antics that went on when you were little were just a phase."

Ellie scowled. "I know you're our mom which means you _have_ to say that…but moms are _also_ not supposed to lie." Her arms were crossed like she was trying to prove a conspiracy theory.

Kitty shook her head. "I know you two don't get along – "

"– You call setting my bed on fire _not getting along_?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kitty laughed nervously. "It's only for a week, and then she goes back to school."

Eileen nodded. "No, that's perfectly fine," she said very matter-of-factly. "Just don't expect to see me much." She smiled and nodded.

Kitty scoffed. "You can't miss dinner with us for a week straight. How are you going to explain that to your father?"

Eileen grinned. "If I'm not around, I don't have to."

Her mother rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "I knew it was a bad idea getting you that leather jacket. It's like you're a whole different person!"

But the young brunette just smiled and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek.

Kitty couldn't help but mentally pray for her youngest daughter as Ellie walked through the swinging door.

~.~

Hyde was fed up with the "chick talk" so he went up the basement stairs to leave. But once he got into the kitchen Mrs. Forman stopped him.

"Oh Steven, could you do me a favor?"

Being that this tiny blonde woman had fed him more than his own mother, he was obliged to say yes. "What's up?" he asked, his hands in his pockets.

She pointed into the living room. "Would you mind bringing those towels to the upstairs bathroom? I got done folding them but I'm gonna do a shift tonight at the hospital so I won't have time to – "

But the ruffian just said, "It's cool. Yeah, I got it, Mrs. Forman."

She smiled from ear to ear. "You're such a good boy, thank you." She laughed.

Steven just shrugged, feeling kind of embarrassed.

Once he was in the living room, he grabbed the stack of towels.

They smelled like lavender and detergent, something his clothes _never_ smelled like, even when they were clean.

He slid off his shoes before going up the stairs so he'd be quieter. He didn't want to disturb anyone who might be sleeping.

But surprisingly, he heard music from one of the rooms.

Without thinking he slowly walked towards the sound, forgetting to breathe.

Hyde put the towels on the ground and took his glasses off so he could see.

Through the crack of the door, he caught a precious glimpse of the forbidden world that was Eric's sister's room.

The young brunette was in a long white night gown with flannel pajama pants underneath, sitting in a pretzel on her bed. She was strumming Jimmy Page's guitar, playing _Kashmir_.

Her soft, pouty lips moved and her mouth opened and closed as she sang along to the music.

The young teen swallowed with nervousness, everything in him screaming to run and get out before he was spotted.

But he was powerless.

Just like before, her voice had him transfixed.

Could this talented, sexy rocker really be into him, like the guys' had said?

He'd never really dated a girl, and the only girl he'd been serious about at one point was Donna…but seeing her sitting there like that, so small and gentle in every way conjured images in his head before he could stop them.

How soft and warm the nape of her neck would be under his lips, how good she'd feel in his arms as he held her, sharing a beer with her, making out with her on the hood of a car…

For a while he was content to simply observe, allowing his fantasies to run wild as her angelic voice carried him to someplace else.

But all of a sudden, she stopped playing and the spell was broken.

To his surprise, she reached across her bed to grab something.

It was his shirt.

Hyde felt color rise to his cheeks as his palms got sweaty. _What was she doing?_

She stared at it with a strange expression, like she was having an internal battle with herself.

"Maybe Donna's, right," she mumbled, stroking the shirt gently. "I should just…talk to him." 

Talk to him? About what? Was she going to admit she liked him? If so, what would he say?

It didn't matter. If Hyde had a sister and Eric was interested, Eric still wouldn't have the gall to make a move on her. He would respect the code.

He went to put his glasses back on so he could leave, but he fumbled and they fell, making a noise.

Ellie gasped, instantly looking up.

 _Shit,_ he thought. He quickly grabbed them and went to leave but he wasn't fast enough.

"Come in," she said curiously, grabbing a robe to wrap around herself.

He cleared his throat, deciding to stay out of the room. "Hey, sorry I just…um…" he looked down at the towels. "Your mom told me to bring up some stuff but I don't know where it goes."

There were some soft padding footsteps before the door opened wider.

She saw the towels on the ground and smiled, bending down to get them, handing them to him. "I can show you."

She led him to the end of the hall where the towel closet is. "Actually Steven I'm glad you're here…I wanted to ask you something," she said in a steady voice, but he could tell she was nervous.

She was averting her gaze and her fists were clenched at her sides, like she was trying to stop her courage from escaping.

Steven gave her a bro nod, his hands in his pockets, trying to play it cool. "Shoot," he said.

She shifted her weight to the other foot, swallowing. "Well…" she said softly, "I had a really great time with you at the concert last weekend. So…I was wondering if you'd want to do something like that again sometime." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if to ward off some incoming abrasion.

Steven flushed. Ordinarily it was the guy who asked this. Just further proof Ellie was different than most girls.

But he liked her straightforwardness. She didn't play mind games or feed you any bullshit.

Before he could go through with this, he needed to make sure. "Yeah, I don't care. The guys are gonna go to the Hub after school tomorrow. You can come with us if you want, even though you don't go to school anymore." He watched her face from under his shades for a reaction.

She frowned and looked dejected. She cleared her throat, standing up a little straighter. "W-well, I m-meant like…um…like just us."

Hyde couldn't help but smile. What happened to that cool confidence she'd had at the concert? Now she was a stuttering flustered mess. It was like she was a completely different person.

But she was still cute as hell.

"You mean like a date?" he said softly, prolonging her torture.

And suddenly the mood shifted. Her eyes grew intense and she shot him a death glare, sarcasm emanating from every pore. "No," she said deadpan, her hands on her hips.

His smile broke out into a full grin. _There she is_ , he thought, trying not to laugh. "Yeah, that'd be cool. Just don't pull any of that timid-super shy-school girl-crap. We both know that's not you."

Ellie smirked, crossing her arms. "Fine. In that case, on Saturday we'll have a picnic in the park."

Hyde mentally backpedaled. _Huh?_

"And you'll like it," she added, as though it wasn't implied.

Hyde just shrugged, turning to leave. "Laters, Muhammad."

As he descended down the stairs to leave, Laurie shot him a wicked smile and a wave, sauntering up the stairs to her room.

Suddenly a knot had formed in his stomach. _What was that bitch up to?_


End file.
